Thursday, December 15, 2011

Colorful swamps in the southeast USA offer a maze of trees and murky waters to enjoy. The trees are OK but the critter-infested waters are a little iffy. During the day this swamp is beautiful. I do not think I would like to be here at night. Ink and watercolor.

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Now that we have cold weather, I've posted a hot weather scene to remind you that summer will return in about six months where we can enjoy the outdoors again. This scene shows river rafters meandering down the American River in northern California. These canyons are very warm but the water is refreshingly cool. Ink and watercolor.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

As the fall season was upon us, I produced several paintings showing the color and beauty of this season. One of my favorites turned out to be this one now framed and in my house waiting to be entered into my next art exhibit. I like it but will a buyer like it when it goes on display? When fall leaves us one year it's nice to know it will always return. Watercolor.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

On this Thanksgiving Day, we are giving thanks for all that we have.This turkey is giving thanks as well. He was left unscathed and is not some one's dinner. He is able to continue enjoying life. We hope all who celebrate this day enjoy it. Ink and watercolor.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

These plump little birds seem to be getting good food somewhere. They look pleasingly plump and are letting everyone know how happy they are by chirping away and being vocal about it. Looks like they just took a dip since their hair is pointy. Ink and watercolor.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I posted this image in black and white several years back (April 2009). It received many, many looks and lots of positive feedback. From a print of that original, I add some watercolors to the ink. I call it Fantasy Mushrooms because this is something someone would only dream about in their wildest fantasies. Ink and watercolor.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

This peaceful country setting includes some critters who are enjoying some leisure time. Old barns, especially old weathered red barns are a favorite for many including myself. Old equipment and the smell of hay and animals remain in these relics of the past. Old barns can be quite scary at night as if ghosts are lurking. When the wind blows we can hear the wood creak along with many other strange, unexplainable noises. Ink and watercolor.

Friday, October 28, 2011

A moonlit night is highlighted by leafless trees silhouetted against the moon. This was done small on watercolor postcard material. Now I must send it to someone. I fear it will end up with postmarks all over the art. Ink and watercolor.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

I hope you enjoy this colorful display of bottles, jugs and pots in this semi-realistic painting. My idea was to be loose, add lots of color and to have all objects transparent. I met my goal. At times, it's fun to stray away from how we normally draw and paint. Ink and watercolor.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Beautiful Lake Tahoe displays its fantastic Emerald Bay. This spot is one of the most photographed areas of this deep blue lake. I live only two hours away from this body of water but only visit it maybe once or twice a year. The lake is 22 miles long and about 12 miles wide with a maximum depth of 1,645 feet. It is the second deepest lake in the USA after Crater Lake. Most of the lake is in California and the remainder is in Nevada. Even in mid-summer the water seems very cold. Ink and watercolor.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

The bell tower at Mission San Miguel Arcangel shows off its architecture. Located on Highway 101 in San Miguel, California north of Paso Robles, this old bell tower stands near the main mission. It is isolated and beautiful and smacks you in the face when you exit off the main highway. Ink and watercolor.

Monday, October 03, 2011

A fisherman's dream would be to have an isolated lake all to himself where he can cast and fish to his heart's content. People do this only when they are not in a hurry. This painting was done as a gift for my brother-in-law Gary Williams in Escondido, California. Laurie, his wife, commissioned me to do it secretly and the painting was presented this past August. We think he was surprised but maybe he knew we were doing it all along. Ink and watercolor.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Recently, we drew clocks in one of our Friday drawing class sessions. I demonstrated in class by drawing some very loose clock art. Days later, after the two images were completed, I digitized my drawings and manipulated them in Adobe Photoshop to produce this little clock collection montage. The students really took to this theme and produced some nice artwork. Ink and watercolor.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

On our trip to San Diego in August, I visited the beautiful Mission San Diego de Alcala in Mission Valley. In the courtyard at the mission, this magnificent water feature stood magically in the noon sunshine. I snapped some photos and was able to recreate this gem back at home. Ink and watercolor.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The HetchHetchyreservoir is one of nature's mesmerizing beauties located in the northern part of Yosemite in California. Before the dam was built the valley was as beautiful as the current Yosemite valley basin. The water from this reservoir supplies the San Francisco area with its drinking water through a series of pipelines. The water travels approximately 167 miles westward to the bay area. Ink and watercolor.SOLD

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Near Route 66 in Illinois, an old grain elevator and rail car sit, where in days gone by, this township was very active from all the traffic generated by this famous highway. Now it remains a quiet village away from the hustle and bustle. Ink and watercolor.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

On our recent trip to Colorado Springs to see our grandson graduate from high school, we stayed at the beautiful upscale Broadmoor Hotel. We enjoyed our three night stay immensely. On our last morning before checking out, I sketched the front entrance showing the mountains behind and ominous clouds above. It was a very striking scene. Ink and watercolor.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

This was a sketch I did in class along with the students. Our theme was railroad cars and I brought photos of an old caboose. We discussed the photo then I showed how I begin my painting with a sketch. Then the students went to work. We ended up with some nice, nearly completed cabooses. Ink and watercolor.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

This sketchy little pueblo scene could be from somewhere in the southwest USA or Mexico. Actually, I took bits and pieces from photos to produce this small painting. I like the colors, the looseness and simplicity. Life looks very simple here. Ink and watercolor.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

My mother Alice had a collection of persimmon trees on her property. She had us boys pick the ripe persimmons so she could make us cookies. Today, those days are only memories. Her property is now sold. The trees are still there, but most importantly, Alice is now gone. She passed away last Sunday, July 24, at the age of 93. She now is in peace. Her cookies were wonderful but that was only one of the many great things she did for us. We remember her as a great mom. Ink and watercolor.

Monday, July 18, 2011

This is my latest version of Mission San Diego deAlcala located in San Diego, California. I have painted this before but I wanted to try a more colorful version. I barely remember this mission as I visited it many years ago when I lived in the area. On my next trip to San Diego in August, I hope to see it again. Pen, ink, watercolor.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Look at the image and tell me the TV show these ten individuals played in. You must not get any internet reference help like Google, Bing or any other source. Do it from memory. You can ask your spouse and/or friends. If artists are trying to answer they probably will not get all the answers. True TV buffs will--maybe. Send your comments to this post. First correct answer wins. You may not have much time to respond!

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Mission San Buenaventura was founded on Easter Sunday 1782 by Father Junipero Serra. It was the 9th mission in the 21 mission chain in Alta California. It was named for Saint Bonaventure, and was the last mission to be founded by Father Serra. In 1794 the first church burned down. It took the Indians 15 years to build the new one. That church still stands today in Ventura, California which is north of Los Angeles. Ink and watercolor.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Because I could not make the trip, I drew this simplified, fairy tale castle from a photograph. The structure is in Germany and it looks majestic and strong while the setting is very peaceful. Ink and watercolor.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The awesome Coit Tower structure looms above all other features on a hill in San Francisco. Seen from this angle, the tower looks massive as we look up the hill over the other structures and trees. Coit Tower is one of the major landmarks of this city. Watercolor.SOLD

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I can hear the bells ringing even if they may not ring anymore. The bell tower is such a neat, picturesque feature of mission architecture. The ringing of the bells communicated to those in the area that an event was taking place. So the bells became the messenger for everyone. Ink and watercolor on bristol. SOLD

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Baseball catchers of the past had much less protection compared to the one in this illustration. Today's catchers are protected much more. My illustration shows Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants crouched behind home plate as he awaits a pitch. With all this protection, nothing could protect him from a runner crashing into him and tearing up his leg during a ball game in May. Buster is gone for the season with this horrible injury. Ink, watercolor, Sharpie. SOLD

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Greenery at a mission in Arizona helps get the juices flowing in this desert scene. I like "green" when it comes to desert areas as I feel it makes things "look" and "seem" cooler. This painting was developed by applying watercolor washes to damp paper first. Once the washes dried, I applied my ink drawing. It's a fun technique but there is a lot of guess work as to where to apply the various washes. Try it sometime when you feel adventurous. Ink and watercolor.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

With about an hour of free time, I drove to a lumber mill in Rocklin, California, to relax and draw. I parked on the side of a quiet little road and sketched this complicated looking network of pipes, ducts and wires which make up the major part of this active lumber mill. It is next to impossible to try to draw every detail but I don't worry about--it looks like a lumber mill minus the exact details. I completed the line work on site and added watercolor at home. Ink and watercolor.

Monday, May 23, 2011

This large ship with sails was a treat to draw. Because I could not see lots of detail from the photograph, I had to fake some stuff but the ship still looks real and majestic. There are actually more lines and cables on the real ship but the few I drew made it look real enough. Unfortunately, many of these old ships are now grounded and have been mothballed or destroyed. I used Sharpies, Prismacolors and watercolor. SOLD

Thursday, May 19, 2011

I like this scene primarily because of the pond. Seems like most ranches and farms had some kind of pond with reeds and fish which was always exciting as a kid. You could fish from the banks, swim in the cool waters and float in a raft if you were clever enough to make one that would float. My Grandpa did not have a pond but he built a cement receptacle and filled it with fresh, running water. It was the coolest water especially on a hot summer day. Today, the receptacle remains but there is no fresh water. Ink and watercolor.

Monday, May 16, 2011

The snow is melting and many streams like this are beginning to fill the reservoirs in California to store the water that is so badly needed in this state. There are more lakes and dams in this state than you can imagine. But we need more. Too much water ends up in the ocean UNUSED. We would dry up and blow away if we did not save the snow waters. Ink and watercolor.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Long, lean buildings allow winding streets to meander in a foreign town. Looks like there is not much room for error if you are driving on these streets. Also in danger are any pedestrians out for a stroll. Done in ink and watercolor.

Saturday, May 07, 2011

My colorful city scene was done with very loose line work--I mean I intentionally did it to make this image very loose and free. This scene was produced looking at several city scenes. The buildings are way more colorful than actual city buildings and I added more trees for greenery. The windows of the buildings were done in different styles and very loosely as well. Simple sky and clouds were added last. Ink and watercolor. SOLD

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

The black and white version of this Amtrak image was posted originally back in September 2006. I decided to add watercolors to the original black and white and came up with this new color version. The black and white received mild attention. I feel the color version has much more appeal and interest. This train is moving forward out of Truckee towards Sacramento. Ink and watercolor.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Thissturdy looking lighthouse is located on red-colored rocks in calm ocean waters. Doesn't look strong enough to withstand rough seas but it is. But what is amazing to me is the fact that this structure could even be built at this location. Ink and watercolor.

Friday, April 22, 2011

This rustic old barn sits quietly beneath the mighty Teton mountains in Wyoming.The day was warm, quiet, and the birds were chirping and there was a slight breeze blowing through the trees. It was mid-summer during one of our family vacations. I had no idea I would ever paint this scene when I first saw it. Ink and watercolor. SOLD

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Simple flowers like these are sprouting up all over the area now that spring is here. They would be more plentiful if we had more sun, warmer weather and less precipitation. The color is out there for all of us to enjoy but beware, so is the pollen which makes us sneeze and have itchy eyes. Watercolor.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

An old faded out pickup truck sits near the main roadway at the High Hand Nursery in Loomis, California. The old contraption is adorned with plants and is very noticeable as customers drive into and leave the premises. This nursery also has a nice restaurant to go along with the array of plants and trees for sale. Ink and watercolor.

Friday, April 01, 2011

Nestled in the middle of Loomis, California, this busy little store almost seems un-noticed. I sat across the street one morning and sketched the store and took photos. Later at home, I completed the painting. While I was sketching, a surprising number of people stopped by to purchase goods. There was a continuing flow of patrons. While I think the little store seems un-noticed, many of the locals know it's there. Ink and watercolor.SOLD